Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3662 The Brocade Robe Reassembled, Reflection in the Mirror; Fine Clothes Cannot Conceal the Imprisonment in the Heart

Cheng Yu leaned against the cold battlements, the wound on his left arm burning painfully under the bandage, each heartbeat pulling at him with a tearing pain.

But the physical pain was nothing compared to the turmoil churning in his mind.

He never imagined that he would one day be so vulnerable.

This unprecedented vulnerability and confusion should not have been present in him!
He is a strategist!

They are strategists with countless schemes and brilliant plans!
But now, unfortunately...

The image of the guard who was shot and killed by the scouts during his previous reconnaissance mission, with his empty or inexplicable gaze before his death, intertwined with Li Laosi's face etched with resentment, lingering in his mind.

why?
Why is he suddenly unable to understand the current battle situation?
Luring the enemy deep into their territory, scorched earth tactics, and reconnaissance—each step seemed to be the right strategy, the most important thing to do at the time. But why did they end up like this when they were put together?
Cheng Yu originally thought that everything was under his control, but now he suddenly realized that he had actually been under the control of others all along!

He couldn't even control the soldiers and civilians at the grassroots level, and he didn't know what they were thinking!
Cheng Yu was originally from a poor family and could have sat and chatted with the common people on the ridges of the fields. Unfortunately, now that he was tall, he couldn't squat down or bend over, so he naturally didn't understand why these common people and soldiers had suddenly become like this.

Shouldn't we strive and endure hardship for the sake of the "Great Han" and for "loyalty and righteousness"...?

What?
"General, the doctor says you need to rest..." Chen Wu, one of Cheng Yu's surviving bodyguards who had accompanied him on a reconnaissance mission, advised in a low voice, his voice carrying the weariness of surviving a disaster and a hint of barely perceptible distance.

"No!" Cheng Yu instinctively waved his hand violently, the movement aggravating his wound and causing him to gasp, but his eyes became even more sinister.

"Rest in peace?" Cheng Yu's voice was hoarse from anxiety, sounding like stones rubbing against each other. He almost roared unconsciously, "The cavalry is right outside the city! They're waiting to see me make a fool of myself! Waiting to see me like a fish, hauled ashore, gutted! They..."

When Cheng Yu suddenly saw the disheveled and wretched image in the pupils of his bodyguard Chen Wu, it was as if ice water had been poured over his head.

He understood what his bodyguard meant when he told him to "rest quietly".

When did he become like this?

Ugliness, cowardice, fear, anxiety, even taking one's anger out on others, and wantonly venting emotions...

Is it due to external pressure?

Or is it because of inner cowardice?

Cheng Yu took a deep breath, then swallowed the metallic taste in his throat. "Have someone prepare hot soup… I… I need to bathe and change…"

Cheng Yu suddenly realized that there was a serious problem with his emotions!
He must make the necessary adjustments.

If this continues, either he will go insane first, or the soldiers guarding Wen County will collapse first!
After bathing and changing clothes, Cheng Yu put on brand new clothes, tidied his long hair, straightened his beard, and put on a spotless headdress. He felt as if he had been "reborn".

The 'calm' and 'wise' Cheng Yu has come back to life.

To this end, Cheng Yu even took his personal guards and patrolled around the city defenses of Wen County.

It wasn't really to inspect the defensive fortifications, nor to understand the soldiers' difficulties, but rather to announce to the people and soldiers of Wen County in this form and manner...

He's nonsense...

Oh, it's Cheng Zhongde again!
Sure enough, the chatter in Wen County seemed to have lessened.

The appearance is back; it's easy.

but……

What about the kernel?
He sat upright before the table, the expensive incense from the incense burner rising gently, trying to dispel the lingering smell of burnt and blood in the air.

The brand-new deep-sleeved brocade robe fit his tall and straight body perfectly, his meticulously combed long beard fell to his chest, and his hair was tied up with a jade crown, so shiny that it could reflect a person's image. He was once again the strategist of Cao Cao's camp who remained calm even if Mount Tai collapsed in front of him, and the pillar of Hanoi.

But when his gaze fell once again on the contradictory intelligence reports and the bloodstained wooden tablets he had brought back from his reconnaissance mission, they seemed to dance and twist before him, emitting a silent mockery.

Cheng Yu maintained an almost frozen calm on his face. He told himself that the chaos was temporary, the fog would eventually dissipate, and he, Cheng Zhongde, still possessed the wisdom to see the light through the clouds.

"Report!"

A hurried announcement shattered the tranquility that Cheng Yu had deliberately created.

A junior military officer scrambled to his knees, his face a mixture of terror and disbelief. "Reporting, reporting to the general, the well at the east gate… the water is poisoned!"

"What?!" Cheng Yu stood up abruptly, his carefully maintained elegant posture seemingly cracking open with a snap.

He stared intently at the military academy, his hands clenched tightly together. "What's going on? Explain yourself!"

The military officer kowtowed and reported, "This morning... the soldiers and civilians who drew water... soon after drinking it... experienced excruciating abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea! More than a dozen people have already collapsed! I called a doctor... the doctor said... said it might be that the well water... the well water was poisoned! Someone poisoned it!"

The military academy student's voice carried a hint of panic and a barely perceptible trace of guilt.

Cheng Yu felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head!
Water is undoubtedly the lifeblood of soldiers and civilians alike!
Even with food, morale will collapse quickly if there is no water!
Someone poisoned it?!
Who did this? A spy from the Imperial Guard? Or...?

The image of Li Laosi flashed through his mind instantly, along with the soldiers whose eyes were darting around!
"Useless! Useless! Where are the soldiers guarding the well?! Are they all dead?! Why was it so easily poisoned?!" Cheng Yu's roar exploded in the hall, hoarse yet shrill with uncontrolled fury. His meticulously groomed beard trembled with rage. "Immediately subject them to severe torture! Detain everyone who came into contact with the well! Investigate! Investigate thoroughly for this strategist! We must find the poisoner!"

The military academy student quickly responded and retreated with his buttocks sticking out.

"Guards!" Cheng Yu ordered again, "Seal off the other wells! Send men to guard them closely! We must not allow this to happen again!"

Someone outside the hall received the order and hurried away.

It's like when it rains, it pours!
The thought that there was a spies from the General Cavalry in Wen County, who had been hiding for so long without being discovered, and now, at this moment, they were poisoning people to sow discord and weaken the morale of the soldiers, was simply terrifying!
If we allow this 'traitor' to poison other water sources in the city with impunity, wouldn't that be...?

Cheng Yu couldn't help but shiver.

We must find this spy, or any of these spies!
Unfortunately, several hours passed, and the interrogation to find the traitor yielded no progress whatsoever.

It is true that some soldiers deserted their posts, but those soldiers did not leave without cause; they were called away by another military academy to do other work...

The military academy needed people to move defensive equipment, so they recruited people from all over the place.

Throughout this process, people continued to come to the well to draw water, and no one was certain who had "poisoned" it...

The subsequent investigation revealed results that were like slaps to Cheng Yu's face.

No one poisoned it.

Because, even though the water was drawn from the same well, some people drank it without experiencing any "poisoning" symptoms...

It was nothing more than the panic among the lower-level military academies, coupled with the laziness of ordinary soldiers and laborers.

The so-called "poisoning" was simply that the civilians and soldiers were lazy and drank cold water without boiling it, and some of the polluted water from outside the city also got into the city.

There's no problem if you boil it normally before drinking it.

Then, when the lower-ranking military officer saw that his soldiers were vomiting and having diarrhea, in order to avoid taking responsibility for Cheng Yu's repeated emphasis on hygiene and the requirement that the water be boiled before drinking, he readily accepted the doctor's suggestion that it was "possible" and insisted that it was "poisoning"...

A false alarm.

However, Cheng Yu's carefully constructed facade of "wisdom and composure" proved to be so fragile and laughable because of this one incident.

A problem that could have been solved simply by asking a few more questions, learning more, and making a few more visits was ruined by Cheng Yu's "uncareful" and "brutal" handling method.

The key issue isn't just the well itself...

"Report! Strategist! The Ximen granary...the granary has been robbed!"

"Report! The sentry post on the north city wall... the sentry commander has been found strangled to death in the corner tower, and his dagger... is missing!"

"Report! Rumors are spreading throughout the city... saying that Military Advisor Cheng has secretly surrendered to General Huo Qubing and intends to offer up the entire city as a reward..."

"..."

Even within Wen County, with its people, soldiers, provisions, and weapons, it should theoretically be a stable and reassuring place. However, in reality, this is not the case...

Every question that surfaced was like a heavy hammer blow, slamming into Cheng Yu's defenses. His face turned ashen, his lips trembled, and his eyes were bloodshot; where was the composure of someone who had been "reborn"?

Beneath the magnificent robes lies only a desperate, trapped beast-like frenzy and paranoia.

Logically speaking, given Cheng Yu's current situation, all he needs is someone to give him guidance, like the hint from the guard before, or someone to step forward and temporarily relieve some of the pressure for him, giving him some time and space to recover and reorganize his thoughts. Then, Cheng Yu could most likely, like before, regain his composure and become a calm and wise man through self-suggestion and self-adjustment.

However, it is a pity.

Because of Li Laosi's incident, Cheng Yu dared not, and could no longer, trust any low- or mid-ranking military academy soldiers. He needed to know more, understand more, and grasp more. He no longer trusted anyone, especially the lower-ranking soldiers and civilians. In his eyes, every approaching figure could be a henchman of the cavalry, or a 'rat' harboring resentment and seeking revenge.

This resulted in Cheng Yu being unable to get effective rest at all.

The "rebirth after bathing" buff is only a temporary fix, not a permanent solution.

Even the dictators of feudal dynasties could not easily relinquish the power in their hands.

So, quite naturally, Cheng Yu chose to hold onto this dictatorial power tightly, wielding it wildly, time and time again to demonstrate its control over the lives and deaths of others, in order to alleviate the growing panic in his heart.

"Block the news! Anyone who dares to spread rumors again will be executed immediately! Their families will also be punished!" Cheng Yu's voice was distorted from excessive suppression. "Increase patrols! Anyone acting suspiciously, kill them on the spot without reporting!"

His orders grew increasingly ruthless, attempting to seal any possible gaps in the chaos with a bloody iron fist, and to prove his absolute control over the crumbling city through slaughter.

He went to the city wall again to inspect the situation, this time not to reassure the people, but to intimidate them.

Cheng Yu, dressed in his expensive finery, walked along the city wall of Wen County, deliberately straightening his back and coldly sweeping his gaze over every soldier on duty. However, what he saw was not awe, but rather a deep-seated fear, suspicion, and even resentment hidden beneath a deathly numbness.

Just then, a piece of intelligence, still covered in fresh soil, was urgently delivered to him.

This intelligence was brought back by a scout who was covered in wounds and barely clinging to life.

The characters on the bamboo slips were crooked and illegible.

"Eighty li northwest... Black Stone Valley... Discovered... a supply convoy... escorted... weakly guarded... a grain depot... proceed immediately..."

Cheng Yu's heart skipped a beat!
Supplies? Weak defenses?
Black Stone Valley?!

This information instantly filled his mind.

Believe it or not?

Is the threat from the south real or fake? Is the troop movement from the north a relocation or a trap? Are the drums and gongs from the west a real troop deployment or a feint?
And that figure fishing by the river...

The 'stand-in' that made him pay a heavy price to glimpse even a hint of the truth...

What role does he actually play?
Where is General Fei Qian himself right now? What is he plotting?
The main force of the cavalry has likely already completed its strategic detour...

It's also possible they're preparing to besiege the stronghold and ambush reinforcements...

They even launched an escalation of psychological warfare, continuing to exploit Cheng Yu's chaos and internal conflicts by spreading rumors, creating panic, and even turning people within Wen County against him, thus subduing him without a fight.

Any possibility is a possibility.

Countless question marks spun and collided wildly in Cheng Yu's mind, giving him a splitting headache.

He felt as if he were tightly bound by countless invisible threads, each thread connecting to a piece of information that was hard to distinguish as true or false, a resentful soldier, or an enemy lurking in the shadows...

The more he struggled, the tighter the grip became, almost suffocating him.

Wen County, the isolated city he had personally transformed into a death trap, had now become a prison that confined him.

The sturdy city walls could not stop the pervasive suspicion, and the strict military orders could not suppress the boiling resentment. He held a large army, yet he was like someone standing naked on an icy plain, surrounded by howling, malicious winds.

He glanced around the tent at the officers and guards standing at their sides, their faces blurred and suspicious in the dim light. How many of them harbored memories of "rat meat"? How many were hoping for his downfall? And how many had already secretly turned their gazes towards the city walls?
"Guards!" Cheng Yu's face was pale. "Quickly present the intelligence to our lord! These...including these...including Black Stone Valley...all to our lord..."

Instinctively, he threw away the hot potato...

……

……

Yanzhou, sour jujube.

Cao’s army camp.

The night was deep, but the candlelight illuminated the central military tent as bright as day.

The air was so still it seemed you could wring water out of it, with only the rhythmic, heavy tapping of Cao Cao's knuckles on the table striking the heart of everyone present.

Xun Yu, Cao Zhang, Xiahou Wei, Lü Qian, and even Cao Cao's bodyguard Dian Wei...

Everyone remained solemn, and no one dared to speak.

On Cao Cao's desk lay an urgent military report from Wen County, Hanoi, stained with blood and mud.

The handwriting on the silk was indeed Cheng Yu's own, but it had lost its usual strength and coldness, and the strokes revealed an undisguised anxiety...

confusion.

Cao Cao's gaze was fixed on the silk cloth, as if he wanted to pierce through the contradictory words.

Cao Cao wanted Cheng Yu to find out the movements of the Flying Cavalry, not for Cheng Yu to report all the intelligence he had gathered, including some contradictory pieces of information!
In addition to this "miscellaneous" intelligence, Cheng Yu also requested reinforcements and explained that he had personally risked his life to investigate the injury...

What does this mean?
Ok?
Cao Cao's face was ashen.

Where is the main force of the Flying Cavalry?

This is the core issue.

Cao Cao didn't care much about the lives of the people in Wen County; he just wanted to know whether the main force of the Flying Cavalry was in Hanoi!
The intelligence sent by Cheng Yu was full of contradictions and vague.

Cao Cao even discerned from Cheng Yu's words that Cheng Yu was currently experiencing extremely unstable emotions.

The so-called cavalry camps were of dubious authenticity, rumors circulated among the soldiers in the city, and the seemingly absurd yet terrifying "cavalry fishing" scheme...

But the most crucial intelligence was missing: the true whereabouts of the Flying Cavalry!

This presents an extremely significant problem, as the location of the main force of the cavalry cannot be determined, thus preventing Cao Cao from ascertaining the current strategic direction.

Cao Cao's army is completely different from what it was before it marched into Guanzhong.

In the past, when Cao Cao's army had ample numbers of generals and soldiers, there was no need to find out the location of the main force of the Flying Cavalry; they could simply treat them as the main force and push them over.

At that time, Cao Cao had abundant resources and numerous bargaining chips.

But now, after losing again and again at the gambling table, my chips are gradually dwindling. Going all in is an option, but what if…

Cao Cao remained silent in thought, a fact that Xun Yu also observed.

Xun Yu also realized the extreme danger of the situation in Wen County, and was also quite moved by Cheng Yu's loss of control.

Cao Cao was inherently suspicious, and if Cheng Yu delivered another piece of confusing intelligence, it would greatly reduce Cheng Yu's value in Cao Cao's eyes.

Cheng Yu stated that his personal risk of injury not only failed to garner Cao Cao's sympathy and pity, but would also greatly deepen Cao Cao's suspicions.

Did Cao Cao suspect that Cheng Yu's judgment was flawed due to excessive pressure? Was the chaotic intelligence situation caused by a decline in Cheng Yu's military leadership or even a loss of internal control? Was Cheng Yu concealing even worse news?

Xun Yu even foresaw that Cheng Yu's tragic end was inevitable.

Even if Cheng Yu survives this war...

In the silence, Xun Yu heard Cao Cao's voice, "Wenruo... what do you think should be done about Wen County right now?"